(ANS – Rome) – The Evaluation and Planning Assembly of the Salesian Sacred Heart community took place on 10 and 11 July 2026 at Central Headquarters.
These two days of community work, conducted using the method of spiritual conversation, were dedicated to reflecting on the year 2025–2026 and laying the foundations for planning for 2026–2027. Fr Marek Chrzan, recently appointed by the Rector Major as Rector of the community for the three-year period 2026–2029, also took part in the Assembly. The highlight of the Assembly was the address by Fr Fabio Attard, Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, who shared a reflection with his confreres based on the liturgical commemoration of St Benedict, celebrated on 11 July, the very day on which the Rector Major spoke.
“Seeking God”: the lesson of St Benedict
Fr Attard began his address by recalling the figure of St Benedict of Norcia and the legacy that his life choices have left to the European continent: through those choices, said the Rector Major, Benedict “built Europe”.
He recalled that at the height of Benedictine monasticism’s expansion, there were around 700 monasteries, not counting the tradition of Eastern monasticism. At the heart of Benedict’s experience, he emphasised, lies the quaerere Deum, the seeking of God, from which arises the synthesis between prayer and work.
From this image, Fr Attard drew a first message for consecrated life, referring to Article 21 of the Salesian Constitutions on the grace of unity. This reminds us that the true challenge of religious life today lies not so much ‘outside’ as ‘inside’, in the personal authenticity of each consecrated person.
The Rector Major warned against the risk that apostolic consecrated life might become excessively ‘contaminated’ by the spirit of the world, thereby losing its flavour, and invited everyone to reflect personally on their own search for Christ. This, he clarified, is not a matter of abstract spiritualism, but of radical clarity regarding one’s own roots.
Fr Attard also announced that the next issue of the Proceedings of the General Council will feature a letter he has written, based on the Gospel episode of Peter’s confession and Jesus’ rebuke (“Get behind me, Satan”): a reflection on the theme of thinking as God does, which shapes our witness.
The Generalate, a place that “inspires the imagination” of the Congregation
A second strand of his address concerned the significance of living in the community of the Generalate, a house called to support the governance of the Congregation.
Fr Attard urged his confreres to be aware that those who come here – Salesians visiting for a few days, or simply those who hear about it – sense something special. It is not, he said, a matter of personal merit – “we are not that, starting with me” – but of the call to live in this house as a sign capable of communicating the family spirit, which must find its most convincing expression here. The Rector Major emphasised that small, everyday gestures of hospitality and care must never be taken for granted.
Study, ongoing formation and fidelity to our roots
Fr Attard finally emphasised the importance of not neglecting study and ongoing formation: “We are not here as officials… we are here to govern and animate.” He urged the members of the General Council and those in charge of the sectors not to reduce themselves to mere service providers, but to take their intellectual commitment seriously as well.
The responsibility entrusted to us is to nurture the Salesian identity; as educators and pastors, we are called to constant renewal. A clear example of this is the importance of keeping abreast of the Church’s teaching, such as the latest encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which links us to the decisions for the Congregation in the coming years.
Concluding his address, Fr Attard encouraged a spirit of serenity and a fraternal atmosphere within the community, calling for a strengthening of the shared spiritual life and for fraternity to be lived as a sign of institutional belonging to the Generalate. The Assembly concluded with the recitation of the Hail Mary.
Immediately after the prayer, Fr Attard wished to express his gratitude to Fr Francesco Marcoccio, the outgoing director, for all he had achieved during his time serving the community, noting that there would be a more appropriate and dedicated occasion to express proper thanks for his work, and thus welcomed Fr Marek Chrzan, who had recently been appointed as the new rector of the community for the 2026–2029 three-year period.
Organised into two working group sessions, the Evaluation and Planning Assembly enabled the confreres to discuss the various areas of community life outlined by the Directory – from dialogue with the Lord to ongoing formation, from fraternal community to mission, right through to the administration of assets and the structures of leadership and governance – with a view to planning for the year 2026–2027.
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